Rising Tide
by A Grey Stone
Summary: Tortured by his stepfather. His mother killed at a young age. His heart shrouded in darkness, Percy Jackson has sworn vengeance. Even his new family hadn't been able to stop him but will a certain goddess deviate him from this spiral to darkness?


Chapter 1

A young boy ran down the dark street of Manhattan, tears streaks can be seen trailing down his face. Upon closer inspection, one could see the boy's long raven locks and his piecing sea green eyes.

The boy stumbled as his foot caught a large and rather sharp rock. He cursed and ignored his bleeding foot, heading straight to the direction from which he could smell the salty aroma of the sea. His ears caught a _whoosh_ of the air and only managed to lean to the right to avoid having his heart pierced by a wicked looking throwing knife. He gritted his teeth in pain as he felt the underside of his left arm sliced open. He could hear a hissing sound that he knew from experience to be laughter coming from behind him, growing louder with each passing second.

 _She's getting closer_

With this thought in his head he pushed himself to run even faster. His muscle screamed in protest while his lungs burn for oxygen. His energy is virtually nonexistent, drained

from days of running and lack of food. He had been on the run for ten days now, constantly running and hiding ,and occasionally stealing food or salvaging in trash cans to survive but no matter how far he loses the monster nor does it matter how well he hid, she would always find and track him down due to his 'scent' and he would be back to square one, the day his mother died. He thought about his recent dream, or rather, nightmare.

 _Go to the beach, Percy. You will be safe there. I love you._

That was his mother's last words to him before she ushered him out of the backdoor. It had been the day Gabe, Percy's stepfather, went on a trip to Washington with his equally ugly friends.

 _Percy was looking forward to a weekend without someone constantly insulting him and his mother. His mother, being the sweet woman she was, decided to celebrated his upcoming seventh birthday by taking him to Montauk beach, where she met his father for the first time. They were just about to get in the car when his mother spotted something and instantly paled. She had quickly pulled him back into the house to backdoor, said her last words and went to hold the monster. Crying and sobbing, Percy scrambled into the city hoping to find directions to the beach. As he began running he could hear the muffled screams of his mother. Unwilling to let his mother's sacrifice be in vain, he bounded into the darkness, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever see his mother._

 _whoosh whoosh_

Percy was suddenly snapped out of the depressing memory by the now familiar sound of air parting for two knives. Percy tensed and jumped up, managing to avoid the blade that was meant to hit his hip and immobilize him but distracted as he was before he wasn't able to completely evade the second one. So instead of impaling itself into his skull, it scored a rather deep gash on the side of his neck. He hissed in pain. He knew he was at Death's door. He had used up his last ounce of energy and the hunger was starting to get to him and once the blood loss was accounted for, he would be easy prey. The only thing that was keeping him going was his sheer will and determination to live.

He clenched his jaws. If only he could fight back. He had tried to attack the monster after five days on the run by throwing a kitchen knife at her. His aim had been true, but the knife had passed through the horrible creature as if she was thin air.

The smell of saltwater was tantalizingly close and he could see the glittering outline of the beach. He desperately ran towards it. The hissing sounds were getting closer and closer. Percy tried to urge his legs to move faster

 _whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh_

Several sharp projectiles flew towards him at breakneck speed. He barely managed to avoid them and have his throat torn out and his right ear cut off. He continues running towards the beach. The outline of the shore and the sparkling of the sea was getting closer now. He felt a strange feeling of hope well up in his chest. Then, he noticed that something was wrong. The hissing sounds had vanished.

He instinctively dodge when the air shifted behind him, evading the knife that was currently occupying the space where his heart had been a moment ago. His eyes travelled from the knife to the face of his attacker.

Long, dark and filthy hair cascaded down an oval shaped face that could have even passed for beautiful if he didn't know of the ugliness within. In the dim moonlight of the night he could see two gleaming blood red eyes staring hungrily at him. Her upper body was relatively human but her lower body was in the shape of a huge, green-scaled tail of a serpent.

Percy felt dread crawling its way up his throat, crushing any hope he had felt earlier

Echidna, the mother of all monsters, had caught up with him.

He glanced back at the beach. He was just a couple steps from the sand and only a few more from the sea.

 _No_ he thought _Not when I'm so close_

Echidna cackled. "You were good, demigod, you would have slipped past me if I couldn't track you by your scent" then, her lips curved up in a cruel smirk "But not good enough it seems"

"Demigod? Scent? " he tried to stall, hoping desperately for a miracle to happen.

Unfortunately, Echidna seems to know what he's trying to do as her smirk grew even wider. "As much as I would like to stay and chat, I am late for dinner and my sonny must miss me right now" she reinforces her statement by drawing another pair of knives

Percy readied his body into what he assumed was a fighting stance. If he was going to die, he might as well take her with him.

Percy met her gaze with his own, trying not to blink. After a while, the temptation to blink eventually won out. When he opened his eyes again, Echidna was gone. He blinked again in confusion and then feeling a rush of air from his left, turned to see Echidna lunging at him. She was too close, too fast. He wouldn't be able to dodge in time. He closed his eyes trying to savor and life he had left as he waited for Death…

…but it never came.

He opened one eye and saw Echidna enclosed in a sphere of water. The knife she was holding was mere millimeters away from his eye. Suddenly the ball of water pulled back, yanking Echidna away with it

Percy looked around for his savior and his eyes found a woman walking gracefully towards him from the sea.

"Be gone, Echidna" the woman spoke in a soft yet commanding tone. Echidna seems to lose all of the smug confidence she had. Percy couldn't really blame her for it because even he, who has absolutely no experience in these strange thing that recently happened, could see the power literally rolling off her in waves

Percy hoped he hadn't traded an enemy for an even stronger one.

"Y-y-you have no business here, titaness." Echidna seems to have regained some of her confidence "I'm have orders from the king of the gods himself. You will be hunted down like rabbit."

The woman raised one elegant eyebrow " You seem to be under the delusion that you will escape unpunished should the boy manages to escape, Echidna. After all, Zeus isn't particularly known for his leniency."

Echidna paled, open her mouth to speak but thought better of it and slithered away.

Percy turned towards the woman, his body tense and ready to bolt if need be. Now that Echidna was gone, he could take in the features of the woman's face. She had dark, long hair flowing down and surrounding a face that seems unnatural to him. Her face was too beautiful, her every expression too elegant and her smiles too sharp. He remembered Echidna calling this woman "titaness".

His mother used to tell him the stories of Greek gods every night, of how the gods overthrow the previous generation of immortal, the titans. If the woman standing in front of him was a titaness, then does that mean gods are real, too?

"Who are you?" he winced at his squeaky voice.

The woman looked faintly amused as she replied "I am Tethys, child. You are safe now"

Percy started to ask how can he trust her but Tethys waved her hand in front of him "Sleep" she commanded. Percy instantly the overwhelming urge to sleep and did his best to fight it off. Tethys' eyes widened as the boy remained conscious and her respect for him went up a notch. Even in this half-dead state, he still manages to resist? After two minutes of this, she waves her hand again and he promptly fell asleep in her arms

As she started walking back into the sea she started to muse about the boy she just rescued. He would be powerful one day, perhaps he would be the one to solve her problem at last

She stopped her pondering as she submerge into the water, and watched his wounds fix themselves. Tethys was about to flash to her hiding place when a voice spoke.

"Where are you taking him, Tethys?" the voice was male, strong and calm

Tethys turned and faced a tall man, hovering in the water a few feet away from her. The man had jet black hair, strong jaws and sea green eyes. Exactly the same shade as the boy's to be precise.

"Poseidon" she greeted. She then studied the other man's guarded expression. There was wariness, confusion, surprise and finally, protectiveness. "Nice day, don't you think?"

Poseidon's hard face didn't change "What do you want with my son, Tethys? Leverage against me for Oceanus, perhaps?"

"You think so lowly of me, Poseidon. If I wanted him dead, I would've let Echidna finished the job, no?" Tethys' expression then shifted to something resembling a sneer "As for Oceanus, I wanted no part in the war to come."

Poseidon lifted a brow "Why wouldn't you? You are being hunted again and again right now" It wasn't a threat, she noted, just plain curiosity " Why would you not want a change in leadership?"

"The first war took several of my children, Poseidon. Now, even though I must live in hiding, some of my children often visit me. I do not wish for my family to be shredded apart again" she replied

Poseidon's expression softened just a little at that before it hardened again "That still doesn't explain what do you want with my son"

" I was about to take him back to the my home to properly heal him and give him and introduction to our world" she said in a tone that a teacher would use when they were talking to a particularly stubborn child.

"I can do that. He _is_ my son after all" Poseidon offered stiffly

"That might not be a good idea. He trusts me to a certain point because of the fact that I have his life. He was scared and desperate. I don't think waking up to a stranger is the best way to calm a child" Tethys retorted softly

Poseidon conceded reluctantly "Swear it then. Swear on the Styx that you will bring him back after you are done with him"

"I swear on the Styx that I will bring Perseus Jackson back unharmed after I have talked to him"

Poseidon's shoulder slumped "Go, then. Take him"

Tethys nodded at the sea god and flashed away.

Poseidon ended up waiting for Tethys to return with his son in the same spot for eight hours. After an hour, he started fidgeting nervously. After two hours, he began to pace and started wondering if he had just condemned his son to death. After three hours, he resigned himself to the fact that there is nothing he can do but wait. He thought about his son. Would he hate him? For not being there? Shame started welling up in his chest but was soon followed by determination. It didn't matter if his son hated him, because he would always love his son. He would try to make up for his absence anyway he could

Then, as if on cue, a bright flash pieced through the darkness of the seafloor. After the light receded, he could make out the figure of a woman holding hands with a boy. He swiftly moved forward, eyes on his son only. "Percy? Do you know I am?" he asked tentatively.

"You're my dad….right?" Percy asked uncertainly while looking to Tethys who nodded encouragingly. Percy hesitated then took a step then another, then another, until he was right in front of Poseidon and surprised him by suddenly hugged him.

Poseidon, after getting over his initial surprise, only hugged his son back and whispered " I'm so sorry, Percy, for not being there."

Percy pulled back and searched his father's face. What he found was genuine sorrow. He wasn't going say 'It's okay. It's not your fault' because nothing can justify his absence while Gabe beat and rape his mother, or when Gabe used to drag a kitchen knife from shoulder to forearm. So, instead, he said "I forgive you"

Poseidon thought he might cry. His son had forgiven him! He grabbed his son into a bearhug. " I would like you to come with me to come with me Atlantis, Percy" he said seriously.

Percy's eyes widened "Really?" he said in astonishment, then hesitated "I don't know. Isn't that against some sort of rule, and I really don't want to intrude on your family."

Poseidon smiled warmly at his son "Percy, you _are_ family, and" he winked " I'm sure no one would mind if I happen to make some 'inspections' at where you live" he finished with a wink

Percy felt a grin stretch his face "Deal" . But then, he suddenly ran back to Tethys and hugged her, taking her by surprise "You'll visit, right?" he asked from his position buried in her stomach

"I will try, Percy" she shot Poseidon a challenging look, as if to dare him to deny his son's request.

Poseidon waited until Percy untangled himself from Tethys and walked over to him, and call out "Delphin!"

The dolphin god appeared in a flash of light, and immediately took on his battle stance upon seeing Tethys. Poseidon hold up a hand "Relax, Delphin. She is not our enemy today."

Delphin looked confused until his eyes landed on Percy and widened. Poseidon smiled " This is my son, Percy. Please find him some accommodations, Delphin"

Delphin dipped his head, grabbed Percy and flashed out.

Poseidon turned his head towards Tethys the moment Percy and Delphin disappeared "What are you're intentions with him?" he demanded

Tethys looked mildly amused "My, my, Poseidon. Such aggressiveness. I wonder if this is what my daughter felt when you courted her"

He gritted his teeth "Just answer my question!" he gritted out

Tethys raised an eyebrow "Poseidon, you've grown brave. You seem to forget that I, too, was once one of the masters of the sea. Although I dislike fighting, I am more than a match for you" Tethys said

Poseidon watched her very carefully, ready for the slightest sign to attack from the titaness. While he was quite confident he would eventually emerge victorious if they do clash, her greater experience can allow her to do significant damage to him, and should she has any backup waiting, he would be in a very bad position indeed.

Tethys' amusement seems to grow as she watched Poseidon scan her movements. Finally, she took pity on him and answered his question "Is it wrong to help a defenseless and innocent child from being slaughtered?"

Seeing Poseidon's unconvinced face, she sighed "I, Tethys, swear on the river Styx that I mean no harm to Perseus Jackson"

Poseidon relaxed a bit although most of his guard was still up "Why would you go to such length to gain my trust?"

Tethys laughed " It is not _your_ trust I want, Poseidon"

Poseidon frowned "Perseus'? What would you gain from this? He barely has anything to offer!"

Tethys smirked "For now. He's likely going to be the one of the prophecy, Poseidon. He will be great one day. As for what I want, well, that's for me to know and you to find out. But rest assured that it will not be of any harm to you."

Poseidon looked like he didn't trust her but decided he couldn't really do anything about it. He can't force her to talk and his son wanted to see her. He could forbid him from seeing her, of course, but he doubt that it would end well. He just had his son's trust back, he didn't want to push it.

" I will allow you to see him, but not in Atlantis. I don't trust you yet." He said

"You say it like you can stop me, Poseidon" she said, smirk still plastered on her face, before flashing away, leaving him alone at the seafloor

Poseidon sighed. That woman is going to be the death of him.


End file.
